Hose-coupling.



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J. M. TOWNE.

HOSE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 190a.

Patented July 16, 1912.

2 SHEETB-SHEET 1.

J. M. TOWNE.

HOSE COUPLING. APPLICATIOK VFILED SEPT. 9, mos.

1,033.5 9, PatentedJul y 16, 1912.

2 SHEETs-SHEET 2.

3 g AW STAES; A'lE 1 it non.

JOSEPH M. TOWNE, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SAFETY CAR' HEATING & LIGHTING COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

HOSE-COUIPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1912.

Application filed September 9, 1908. Serial No.,452,247.

.lb all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnrn M. TowNn, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l l ose-Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the artfto which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to couplers, and more particularly to gravity couplers designed for use in connection with the steam heating apparzitus of railway cars.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide improved means for holding the complementary parts of a gravity hose coupler of the above character in locked condition d ning ordinary conditions of service, but which will permitautomatic uncoupling when the hose is subjected to an undue or breaking strain, as when the cars draw apart with the parts of the coupler locked together.

Other objects Will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

.lhe' invention accordingly consists in the :teatures' of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified 1n the construction here1n' after set forth, and the cation of which will be lowing claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is lllustrated two of venous possible enrbodnnents of my invention, Figure 1 1s a scope of the appliindicated in the folvieW in elevation of a coupler with the complementary parts in locked condition show ing the same; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and +1, 5 and 6 are views corrcspoinling respectively to views 1, 2 and 3 of a dil'lerent embodiment of my invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, 1 represents the body portion of a gravity hose coupler broadly, one of the Sewall type, having the projecting side arm 2 which overlaps and engages with the rigid:, lug or projection 3 formed on the body portion of the complemcntary coupler 4, the latter being likewise provided with an arm 5 overlapping and engaging a lug or piibjeetion 6 formed on the con-- pier member Tla can. of the complementary parts of the coupler is provided with the usual nozzle or neck? which is adapted to be attached to a section of flexible hose extending from the train pipeat-the end of the car, and a passage 8 extends through the body portion of each coupler, aid passage ways meeting and registering in the face portions9 and 10 of the complementary parts when they are inlocked' condition as shown, suitable gaskets, at 12, being provided to effect a tight joint. The coupler members when loclred are supported by the flexible hose sections between the cars, which hosesections liang in a catenary curve, the construction being such that, should the cars draw apartwhen the coupler members are in locked condition, the coupler members will be automatically uncoupled by the 11p- 'ard swinging movement due to the tautening of the hose.

In hose couplers of the Sewall type, such as above described, it has been f and desirable to provide means for preven 1g the relative rocking movement of the coupler parts when the coupler is subjected to strains that are due to the ordinary relative lateral movements of adjacent car platforms, such as are produced, for instance, in the rounding of reverse curves, which movements have a tendency to tauten the hose sections, thereby-rocking the coupler parts and producing leakages, if not accidentally uncoupling them.' In order to prevent such relative movement of the coupler members as would tend to produce leakages or accidentally uncouplc them, mount upon each of the compleimnlary pilrts a spring latch 11. In this prelterrml en'ibodimcnt of my invention this spring latch is carried by an arm 13 mount- -ed upon a pintlc 14, extending from a lug l5, pre'lwmbly cast integral with the coupler member, although this lug may be made separate therefrom and fastened thereto by means of bolts or rivets, if desir d. This spring latch is adapted to swing transversely of the coupler member, and the outer end thereof is adapted to take over the side arm 2 0155 of the com ilementary coupler when said com tilelnentary coupler parts are in locked condition, asshown in the drawings. An abutment 16 is formed upon each of the lugs, said abutments engaging the ends of I l l l l i in turn pivotally supported upon a pin 18 fastened in the body of the coupler member, an abutment 20 cast integral with the body of the coupler part being provided for cooperating with the springxlatch. This abutment likewise operates tohold the spring latch in engagement with the arm of the opposite couplei or in a position disengaged therefrom.

Having thus described the construction i of this embodiment of my invention, the operation thereof may now be understood. It should be understood that before looking the reciprocal parts of the couplers, the swinging latch members are swung upward away from the bodies of the coupler members, so that the latter maybe interlocked in the-usual manner. The spring latches are then swung about their points of pivotal support to the position shown in the drawings, in which each latch engages the arm of the opposite coupler. It will be seen that these latches will hold the coupler members in' their locked condition during ordinary conditions, but thestrength of the springs is such that when the hose sections are subjected to undue strains the latches will yield to permit the coupler parts to automatically uncouple.

It will, accordingly, be seen that I have provided a construction adapted to attain among othersall the ends and objects above pointed out, in a simple yet efficient manner. The coupler memberswhile held firmly in locked condition are nevertheless permitted to become automatically unlocked, thus rendering it impossible to break the hose sections in case the cars should become separated with the coupler parts in locked con dition. It will be obvious, of course, that the spring latches, such as shown in the present construction, may be applied to existing couplers.

As many changes could bemade in the above construction and many apparently widely difierent embodiments of this 'invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrativegand not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

- Having described my invention, what I: claim as new and desire to seeureby Letters Patent is 2- 1. The combination with two parts of a hose coupling having means for engaging and disengaging them, operative through relative rocking movements of said parts, of a spring locking member mounted to swing transversely and downwardly upon one of said parts adapted to engage the other ofsaid parts and oppose but not prevent a relative movement of said parts toward uncoupling, Y

2. The combination with two parts of a hose coupling having complementary lock;

ing means operative to'lock and unlock said.

parts upon relative movements thereof, and

auxiliary locking means located upon each part, comprising a spring member mounted to swing transversely and downwardly thereon and engage the other thereof to op-' pose but not prevent such relative movement of said parts as will tend to 'uncouple 3. A direct port gravity hose coupler for railway cars having alocking arm on one side with a locking projection on the opposite side, adapted 'to couple with its reciprocal couplerwith downward swinging movement and automatically-to uncouple with an upward swinging movementby a 'tautening of the hose as the cars draw apart,

combined with a spring latch mounted to swing transversely and downwardly upon each of said couplers impositively engaging the arm of the reciprocal coupler and resisting but not preventing an uncoupling movement.

4. The combination with a hose coupler having two complementary parts, a spring latch mounted to swing transverselyand downwardly upon each of said parts and engage theother thereof when said parts are in locked condition, and means for holding said spring latch in engagement with said part or disengaged therefrom.

5. The combination with a hose coupler having two complementary parts, each of 'which is provided with a locking arm on one 51(10 and a locking pro ection upon the opposite side adapted to couple by a downward swinging movement and to antomati cally uncouple by an upward movement, a spring latch mounted to swing upon each of said parts and swingable transversely and downwardly thereon into engagement with the arm of the complementary part,

' and meansfor holding said latch upon either side of a dead center position.

6. The combiiiation with a hose coupler having two complementary parts each of which is provided with a locking arm on one side and a locking projection on the opposite side, said parts being mutually engageable and disengageable'by a pivotal movement of said parts about awtransverse axis, a spring latch pivotally mounted on a longitudinally extending pin upon one of said parts and adapted impositively to engage the other thereof, thereby resisting but not preventing the movement of said part toward uncoupling, and means for holding said latch in engagement with said part or disengaged therefrom.

7. The coinl'nnation with a hose coupler having two complementary parts, each provided with a side arm overlapping and en-- gaging with the other, a projection upon arch of said parts with which one of said arms interlocks, a spring latch pivotally mounted upon each of said parts and adapted to swing transversely thereon into engagenient with the side arIm of the other part to hold said parts in locked condition and to resist but not prevent an uncoupling movement thereof, and an eccentric abutment woperating with said spring latch to hold the same in positions of engagement with said arm or disengagement therefrom.

S. The combination with a gravity hose coupler for railway cars, comprising a pair of mutually engage-able parts adapted automath-ally to disengage when the hose tautens as the cars draw apart, of a spring latch pivotally mounted upon each of said parts adapted to swing transversely thereon to engage the other of said parts tohold said parts in locked position and adapted to yield to permit said parts to become disengaged, and an abutment having a dead center point over which the end of said spring latch is adapted to slide to hold said latch in or out of engagement with the other of said parts.

9. The combination with a gravity hose coupler having two complementary parts, each of which is provided with a side a'rm adapted to overlap and engage with the other, of aspring latch mounted upon one of said parts and adapted to swing transversely thereon into engagement with the side arm of the other part, whereby said parts are held in engagement but are not prevented from becoming automatically disengaged when the hose tautens as the cars draw apart, and an eccentric abutment formed adjacent the pivotal support of said latch adapted to be engaged by said latch to hold the same in a plurality of pivotal positions.

v 10. The combination of two parts of a hose coupling. having complementary looking means operative to lock and unlock said parts upon relative movement thereof, an auxiliary locking means comprising an arm mountedupon a longitudinal pivot upon one of said parts and a spring latch carried by. said arm adapted upon the arm being swung downwardly, to engage the other of said parts and oppose but not preventthe relative movement of said parts toward un-' coupling.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH M. TOWNE.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. CLARK, E. E. ALLBEE. 

